Robots are taking over an increasing numbers of jobs, with automation replacing posts such as pharmacy assistants, travel agents and translators, according to the latest study.

Two-thirds of the fastest-declining jobs are linked to increased automation and technological advances, said jobs site Adzuna.

Illustrators and writers also feature in a list of declining occupations caused by automation.

In contrast, there are a number of other occupations that are growing, including nail technicians and retail security officers, said the report.

Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, said: "The robots are not just coming, they are here already - in our pockets, workplaces and homes.

"Automation is already replacing jobs and could be set to replace some roles, like translators and travel agents, entirely. But, at least in the short term, artificial intelligence advances seem to be creating new jobs just as fast.

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"Tech is changing the shape of industries in more complex ways than previously predicted. For example in the creative and design fields, previously feted as 'robot-proof', we are seeing that software and technological tools can help even the most creative of professionals automate tasks, find efficiencies in workflows, and change the way they work.

"Employers and jobseekers alike will need to anticipate and react to this high rate of change or they risk being left behind."

Robots have been the stuff of nightmares for film makers since Metropolis in 1927

John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC, recently predicted a third of existing jobs could face automation by the early 2030s, but added that new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies could boost production and generate more jobs.

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"A key driver of our industry-level estimates is the fact that manual and routine tasks are more susceptible to automation, while social skills are relatively less automatable," he said. "That said, no industry is entirely immune from future advances in robotics and AI.

"Automating more manual and repetitive tasks will eliminate some existing jobs, but could also enable some workers to focus on higher value, more rewarding and creative work, removing the monotony from our day jobs."

Some areas of work are clearly better suited to robots than people - such as the delicate and potentially dangerous working environment of nuclear sites. The University of the West of England is part of a consortium which has recently received a £4.6 million grant to build the new robots for use in nuclear sites.

The funding, from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, will help develop smaller robotics technologies that will be able to operate autonomously and effectively in hazardous environments.

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Tony Pipe, professor of robotics and autonomous systems at UWE Bristol and deputy director of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, said: “This project will allow Bristol Robotics Laboratory researchers to further develop, apply and then exploit their world-renowned expertise in advanced multi-robot and human-robot interaction systems to support this safety-critical domain, and hence achieve valuable societal and environment impact for the UK.”

Jobs will change rather than disappear over the next decade as robots are increasingly used in the world of work, a study says

Experts at a Bristol robotics firm recently questioned calls to create a new legal status of ‘electronic persons’ – fearing it could diminish the responsibility of the programmers.

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“The granting of ‘electronic person’ status to robots carries serious ethical risks – diminishing the responsibilities of the humans who program and operate them.

“Machines will only be as dangerous as they are allowed to be by their designers in the first place. The responsibility for ensuring they do not endanger people should be in the hands of the designers, programmers and operators.”